This is a list of heads of state of Nigeria by age.
The youngest person to become head of state was Yakubu Gowon, who at the age of 31, assumed office after the assassination of Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi during the July 1966 counter-coup.[1] The youngest civilian head of state to assume the presidency was Goodluck Jonathan, who at the age of 52, succeeded to the office after the death of Umaru Musa Yar'Adua, he was also the youngest person elected to the office at the age of 53. The youngest to become head of state by election was Shehu Shagari, who was inaugurated at age 54. The oldest person to assume the presidency was Muhammadu Buhari who was inaugurated at age 72.[2] [3]
Assassinated at age 37, Murtala Muhammed was the youngest head of state at the end of his tenure, and his lifespan was the shortest of any head of state, he was the only head of state not to have lived to the age of 40.[4] At age 40, Yakubu Gowon was the youngest person to become a former head of state. The oldest head of state at the end of his tenure was also Muhammadu Buhari at 80.[5]
Buhari's second retirement, now, is currently the shortest, Yakubu Gowon's retirement, now years, is the longest in Nigeria's history. At age, Gowon is also the oldest of the seven living heads of state. Shehu Shagari who died in 2018 aged 93 is the nation's longest-lived head of state.[6] [7] Only two heads of state (Shehu Shagari and Nnamdi Azikiwe) have lived into their 90s. The youngest living head of state is Goodluck Jonathan, age .
This is a list of heads of state of Nigeria by age at assuming office from the youngest to the oldest.
| Name | Date of birth | Date of death | Date and age at assuming office | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yakubu Gowon | 19 October 1934 | (living) | ||
| Murtala Muhammed | 8 November 1938 | 13 February 1976 | ||
| Olusegun Obasanjo | 5 March 1937 | (living) | ||
| Muhammadu Buhari | 17 December 1942 | (living) | ||
| Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi | 3 March 1924 | 29 July 1966 | ||
| Ibrahim Babangida | 17 August 1941 | (living) | ||
| Sani Abacha | 20 September 1943 | 8 June 1998 | ||
| Goodluck Jonathan | 20 November 1957 | (living) | ||
| Shehu Shagari | 25 February 1925 | 28 December 2018 | ||
| Umaru Musa Yar'Adua | 16 August 1951 | 5 May 2010 | ||
| Abdulsalami Abubakar | 13 June 1942 | (living) | ||
| Ernest Shonekan | 9 May 1936 | 11 January 2022 | ||
| Nnamdi Azikiwe | 16 November 1904 | 11 May 1996 | ||
| Olusegun Obasanjo | 5 March 1937 | (living) | ||
| Bola Tinubu | 29 March 1952 | (living) | ||
| Muhammadu Buhari | 17 December 1942 | (living) |
This table shows heads of state by their longevity (living heads of state in gold).
| Rank | Head of state | Date of birth | Date of death | Longevity (Years, Days) | Longevity (Days) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | days | |||||
| 2 | days | |||||
| 3 | Living | days | ||||
| 4 | Living | days | ||||
| 5 | days | |||||
| 6 | Living | days | ||||
| 7 | Living | days | ||||
| 8 | Living | days | ||||
| 9 | Living | days | ||||
| 10 | Living | days | ||||
| 11 | days | |||||
| 12 | days | |||||
| 13 | days | |||||
| 14 | days |
| List of heads of state of Nigeria | 14 | |
|---|---|---|
| Living | 7 | |
| Deceased | 7 |
This table charts the age of each head of state of Nigeria at the time of assuming office, upon leaving office, and at the time of death. Where the head of state is still living, their lifespan and post head of state timespan are calculated up to .
| Head of state | Date of birth | Date of assuming office | Age at assuming office | End of term | Age at end of term | Length of retirement | Date of death | Lifespan | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | days | |||||||||
| 2 | 0 days | days | ||||||||
| 3 | (living) | days | ||||||||
| 4 | 0 days | days | ||||||||
| 5 | (living) | days | ||||||||
| 6 | days | |||||||||
| 7 | (living) | days | ||||||||
| 8 | (living) | days | ||||||||
| 9 | days | |||||||||
| 10 | 0 days | days | ||||||||
| 11 | (living) | days | ||||||||
| 12 | (living) | days | ||||||||
| 13 | 0 days | days | ||||||||
| 14 | (living) | days | ||||||||
| 15 | (living) | days | ||||||||
| 16 | (incumbent) | (incumbent) | (incumbent) | (living) | days | |||||
| Head of state | Date of birth | Date of assuming office | Age at assuming office | End of term | Age at end of term | Length of retirement | Date of death | Lifespan |